The Arrival of the Adults
An unseasonal cold wave quieted the burning vegetation. The early spring cold snaps were long gone, but the sudden drop in temperature made me shiver. Despite the cloudless, clear sky, thunder rumbled incessantly, and explosive booms like artillery fire detonated one after another. The ground shook, a testament to the sheer magnitude of the forces clashing. Even though we were quite far away, the aftershocks vibrated right through us.
Who would believe that this was the result of just a few people fighting? Supernatural abilities really are terrifying. I mean, I'm a supernatural ability user too, but since my only trick is regeneration, I can't do anything like that. In that sense, I sometimes envy those with high-firepower abilities. It makes sense why Arin secretly admires Yujin and Aris.
Well, I'm completely satisfied with my Super Regeneration, though. It's the perfect fit for Lucia, isn't it? A match made in heaven! Or is that not the right phrase to use here? Eh, who cares? There's no better way to describe it.
There is no inherent hierarchy of superior and inferior supernatural abilities. Every power has its pros and cons, and it all depends on how you use it. In other words, the user matters more than the ability itself. Even a seemingly weak and trivial power, when trained to its absolute limit, can reach a level where no one can match it in that specific field. The woman who just appeared before us was exactly that kind of case.
"Is everyone alright? Oh my, look at all this blood... You have some wounds, but thankfully, none of them are life-threatening. Yes, what a relief."
This happened while I was tagging along, watching Yujin and Aris subjugate monsters after we destroyed the Death Knight's remains. I wanted to help, but the two of them cleared everything out before I could even step in, leaving me with nothing to do but suck my thumbs. I have to say, Yujin's momentum was truly incredible. As they say, when a normally gentle person snaps, they become absolutely terrifying. I got shivers down my spine. I wish he'd be that intimidating all the time.
Our unstoppable march came to a halt much sooner than expected. It wasn't because a high-ranking or named monster blocked our path. It was simply because there was no longer any need to fight.
"It must have been terrifying, but thank you for not giving up and doing your best. I'm so proud of you. You've all done wonderfully."
At long last, Cheonmyeongdae had arrived. A woman of mysterious age greeted us with a warm smile. Her reddish-brown hair felt incredibly familiar. Even though this was definitely our first meeting, her facial features struck a chord. Those softly curved eyes and the gentle smile playing on her lips instantly brought Class 1-A's class president to mind. If Arin took off her glasses, unbraided her hair, and aged a few years, she would look exactly like this woman.
Is she Arin's older sister? the thought crossed my mind briefly, but Arin was an only child. That meant the answer was obvious.
"It's alright now. You can rest easy. The adults will handle the rest."
Arin's mother. The Vice-Captain of the 2nd Division, Arien. Her presence meant her husband, Karlad, had to be here as well. So the thunderous roars really were caused by the Captain of the 2nd Division. I had a hunch. Arin was here, after all, so Karlad's appearance was practically guaranteed. And this biting cold was likely the work of the 3rd Division Captain, Isabella. If Karlad came because of Arin's call, Isabella probably came due to the manifestation of the Rift in Space. A Rift of this scale opening in District 4 was an emergency that demanded a Captain's direct intervention. Whatever their reasons, having two Captains on the scene was a massive stroke of good luck. Even if they couldn't defeat Astaroth, they could at least keep her in check. Judging by the constant explosive booms, maybe even one more Captain had arrived.
"...No, we can still fight. There might be more civilians who haven't evacuated yet. We may not be much, but please let us help."
"There are none. Everyone has already evacuated. You children are the only ones left."
Arien shook her head at Yujin's words. It wasn't a lie meant to placate us. There really were no civilians left to rescue. Her supernatural ability was Presence Detection. While her daughter, Arin, detected crisis, she detected presences. Depending on how you looked at it, it might seem like a minor ability, but she had climbed all the way to the position of Vice-Captain with it. Having reached the absolute peak through relentless training, her Presence Detection possessed accuracy, scale, and performance that surpassed even clairvoyance. Keeping the entire national park within her sensory range was child's play. She was an ability user who could clearly perceive everything from a bird's-eye view—not just the number of people remaining in the park, but the number of streetlights and benches, the number of planted cherry blossom trees, and even the exact count of scattering cherry blossom petals.
Arien might look gentle and easygoing on the outside, but she drew a sharp line between public duty and private matters. If there were any civilians still alive in this chaos, she would have rescued them first. As supernatural ability users, we would have been lower on her priority list. Unlike ordinary people, we could at least defend ourselves. The very fact that she had come to rescue us meant there were absolutely no ordinary citizens left.
"Has everyone really evacuated?"
"Well, if we exclude civilians, there are a few others besides you. But they all have the strength to protect themselves, so you don't need to worry."
Ah, I knew exactly who they were. If they had the power to protect themselves in a place crawling with monsters from a Rift in Space, it meant they were supernatural ability users. Aside from us, the only student ability users who weren't active Cheonmyeongdae heroes... were those three, right? Arin, Leo, and Anastasia.
Karlad might look cold and ruthless on the outside, but the reality was the exact opposite. He was a doting fool who would do absolutely anything for his daughter. In the original novel, when Yujin and Arin met up for a weekend date, that man actually stalked them with a sniper rifle. If Arin so much as kissed his cheek, he'd probably grin like an idiot for the rest of the day.
Arien was also full of contrasts. As I mentioned, she was a woman who strictly separated public and private matters. That didn't mean she was a cold-blooded monster without blood or tears, though. It just meant she built a solid wall between her official duties and personal life. If Arin were in real danger, she would have rushed to her side without a second thought. But since that wasn't the case, she moved toward whoever seemed to need help more. In Arien's judgment, we apparently looked like we needed help more than her daughter. Or perhaps a separate helping hand had already been sent to Arin. Since Arien wouldn't have deployed alone, the latter seemed more likely. Besides, even though Yujin and Frey were exhausted, they still looked energetic enough. It was dangerous, but they didn't look like they needed immediate saving.
"Now, let's get you all evacuated quickly. Before you get caught up in the crossfire."
Arien said as she turned her gaze toward the source of the explosions. A faint shadow of worry cast over her face, which had been wearing a reassuring, gentle smile just a moment ago. Since she could detect presences, she seemed to know exactly what was happening over there.
"What on earth is 'that' thing... Is it even... human...?"
She muttered quietly to herself, then startled, shaking her head quickly. Composing her expression, Arien brought back her gentle smile.
"I'll guide you to a safe place. The medical team is there, so it would be best to get first aid for your injuries first. If you leave them untreated, they might get infected and cause you a lot of pain."
Reflected in her eyes, Yujin was covered in blood from head to toe. Most of it was his own. He had either burned away or dodged the monsters' blood before it could touch him. His school uniform was completely in tatters, having lost its original shape long ago.
...Should I take back what I said about him not needing immediate help? Did I think too lightly of it because such injuries are nothing to Lucia? Even if he didn't have any fatal wounds that would hinder his movement, he looked like an absolute wreck.
"Fortunately, this cute little lady here is perfectly safe and unharmed, but..."
Arien instinctively reached out her hand as if to stroke Frey's head. Our Frey really is cute, isn't she? I pet her head like crazy every single day too. And her cheeks are just so squishy. They're as chewy as glutinous rice cakes, making me want to take a big bite out of them. These soft, squishy cheeks are Aris's true identity. My mouth was practically itching to give Aris the nickname "Squishy Cheeks."
"...Get your hand off me."
"Ah, I'm sorry. By the way, are you alright? Your heartbeat is a little strange."
Frey hid herself behind my back with a sullen expression. Arien gave an awkward laugh, but her face quickly turned serious. Her gaze was fixed on my chest. It seemed she had sensed my condition through her Presence Detection.
It was my heart, which had been pierced by the Death Knight's demonic sword. The deathly energy was still lingering inside my body. To be precise, I was intentionally keeping it there. Even the slightest sudden movement made my chest throb with agonizing pain. Since I had regenerated my heart just enough to function, my life wasn't in any real danger. It just hurt. Hehe, my chest feels so heavy. Physically heavy. The thumping hurts so much—it hurts so, so much that it feels like my heart is tearing apart. It feels just like falling in love. So this is why people fall in love. It feels so incredibly good. He-he, he-het...
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry. My supernatural ability is Super Regeneration."
My voice sounded a bit sweet and breathless. Since my heart wasn't functioning properly, my breathing was slightly ragged. I hadn't looked in a mirror, but I could feel my face flushing red.
"...I see. Still, just to be safe, make sure you get examined. Alright?"
"Yeees, I understand."
"Good girl. Just bear with the pain a little longer."
Arien turned around, telling us to follow her. She seemed to be locating the monsters with her Presence Detection to find the fastest route. After a brief silence, Arien took her first step a few seconds later. We began to move, following closely behind her.
"Huh?"
"...That's."
But we didn't get very far before we were forced to stop. Arien was the first to raise her head high. She must have sensed something with her Presence Detection. Next, Yujin looked up at the sky, his eyes widening in shock. From the ground toward the heavens, a fiercely burning, vermilion flame was soaring upward. Reaching the exact center of the shattered sky, the flame rapidly divided. One became two, two became four. After multiplying endlessly, hundreds of flames were suddenly dancing across the sky.
"...The Sun Sword? But who?"
Yujin muttered blankly. The Sun Sword? That's your technique, Yujin. Since you're right here, who could possibly be using it... Ah, of course.
"Astaroth..."
Yujin's technique had been stolen. The problem was that it was a technique capable of mass slaughter. In the early stages of the Rift in Space opening, the reason civilian casualties were lower than expected was thanks to that very technique. But if that was used against humans instead of monsters... Even though she could easily do worse without such a technique, copying it like this was truly malicious.
Crimson meteors began to rain down. The sight of countless lights falling like a meteor shower was beautiful enough to be romantic, but the scene that would unfold the moment they impacted would be anything but beautiful. The Sun Sword unleashed by Astaroth was far more powerful than Yujin's. It was only natural; although Yujin was the original creator of the technique, Astaroth, the current user, was vastly stronger. Even with the same technique, the output was on a completely different level. Realizing this even before they exploded, Yujin wore a slightly shocked expression.
"What are you spacing out for? Aren't you going to intercept them?"
"...Right."
Frey spoke with a furrowed brow. Snapping out of his daze at her irritated voice, Yujin immediately raised his red sword. Even if he gave it his all, it was doubtful how many meteors he could shoot down... but it was still better than doing nothing.
"It's alright. Didn't I tell you? Leave things to the adults from here on out."
Arien said with a bitter smile. An ability user on par with Angelica, Arien was a superhuman among superhumans. However, her supernatural ability wasn't suited for shooting down a meteor shower. While Presence Detection was a massive asset in battle, it shared the same drawback as Arin's Crisis Detection. In a situation like this, Arien couldn't be of much help. But that wasn't true for everyone.
A flash of lightning illuminated the earth. A single bolt of lightning defied gravity, surging straight up into the sky. The thunderous roar followed only afterward. Faster than sound, the lightning reached the heavens. It branched out in all directions. Like thunder striking from storm clouds, the lightning that began from the ground split into hundreds of forks, wrapping around the crimson meteors. And then, they vanished. The vermilion flames and the lightning underwent mutual annihilation. When the thunder faded, not a single meteor remained.